The dishes are piling up, the dog needs his shots, you can’t find two socks that match, your garbage can stinks, and the dentist office just called to find out if you are still coming in today for your appointment that started 10 minutes ago.

Sound familiar?

This may sound like a typical scenario in your hectic, out-of control-day, but we’ve compiled 10 quick and easy tips to help even the most frazzled mom get back on track.

The following tips are not written in any particular order, but if embraced, we promise they will make your life easier. A LOT easier. So, are you ready to jump right in?

1. Get plenty of sleep.

This seems so basic, but getting through your day and staying organized requires lots of brain function. An exhausted mind is rarely productive. Take advantage of the regenerating effects of proper sleep to ensure a full and energetic day.

2. Get up earlier than you need to.

You would not believe how many speeding tickets you will save (along with the stress of trying to make that morning appointment on time). Getting up early puts you in control from the moment you awake. Forget the snooze button, and greet your day at the first sound of your alarm. (more…)

The holidays are a wild time of year for every working individual, but especially for the work-at-home-woman. What’s an office by day may very well have to host a New Years Eve party by night. With all this intermingling of professional and personal life during the holiday season, it can be hard to keep things straight and manage your time wisely.

Here’s how to stay organized during the holiday season:

Share a holiday calendar with your partners.

We like to get pretty festive at our company. So much so that we like to partake in a different holiday activity or indulge in a different holiday treat each day of December and through part of January. This has proved to be a great way to get everyone excited to come to work during the holiday season. However, if not organized carefully, certain scheduling conflicts can arise.

If you have employees working in your home with you, or you plan on meeting up with your partners for festive reasons this holiday season, be sure to create a calendar for everyone well in advance. No one wants to miss out on the partner pot luck because they weren’t told about it ahead of time and scheduled a meeting. (more…)

Overwhelmed by the onslaught of apps that promise to make your life more productive? You’ll learn to organize your emails, take control of your finances, streamline your grocery shopping and never miss a to-do again. But getting yourself to use the apps as intended is where you fall short. They’ll make good on their promises, if you put them to use consistently.

So before downloading another app to monitor your work minutes or number of sales calls, try these three simple hacks with everyday technology you’re already using.

#1: Be an email connoisseur

Surprisingly, the number one email area that drives productivity is not the bulleted text, calls to action or attachments. It’s the subject line. This is your opportunity to give and receive key information like urgency, messages and deadlines.

We tend to use our subject lines like teasers instead of the direct communication tool they could be. Here are some subject lines you might be familiar with: Information For You, Please Read, Meeting Notes, Next Steps etc. Instead, think of your subject line as a summary of the information you need, so you can cut down on the number of interactions. Try, “Need Your Feedback On Meeting Notes By 3pm Friday.” Or “Coffee at 10am Monday to Discuss Partnership Opportunities.” These action oriented subject lines with deadlines let the recipient know exactly what they need to do, by when. (more…)

Every working professional has been striving to find the perfect balance between work and life since the beginning of time. We need to work to sustain our lifestyles, and we need to indulge in our personal lives to have enough energy for work- it’s a tricky balance to maintain. But what about those of us that actually work from our own homes? It’s harder to draw a line between professional and personal when your “office” is mere feet from the play room that’s just begging to be picked up. If you find yourself constantly asking, “Where do I draw the line?”

Try out these four tips to separate your personal and professional lives, while maintaining a successful at-home business:

Schedule down time.

If you’re like me, you could go, go, go from sunrise to sundown without so much as taking five minutes to read the paper or enjoy a meal sitting down (so seems to be the case with most entrepreneurs). Though, I have found that if I keep up this schedule, within two weeks or so I’ll feel as if I’ve hit a brick wall. I become exhausted and scattered with little warning. (more…)

You still have to have an amazing output, but you have to do it at your own pace. Which is insanely tricky at time considering all the temptation around you. Especially if you’re working from your house.

If you’re just starting to work remotely, have been working remotely, or just taking a couple of days to work from home. These tips will help you become more productive at work.

Find A Place That Encourages Productivity

I know it sounds fun to work on your own and away from your office. But you still have to perform good, if not, better than your usual standard.

So whether you’re working from home, at a coffee shop, or a shared space, just make sure to have a location that will allow you to work at your best.

Working from home is absolutely cool. However, you might get too comfortable and you definitely don’t want to just wake up in your PJ’s every day and stay at home.

It may sound cool, but trust me, it gets boring after a while. But hey, if it works for you, more power to you. (more…)